Game net



l. GROSS GAME NET Dec. 24-, 1957 Filed Jan. 28, 1955 INVENTOR. IRVING GROSS ATTORNEY United States Patent GAME NET Irving Gross, Providence, R. I.

Application January 28, 1955, Serial No. 484,753

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-30) This invention relates to a game net and more particularly to a net suitable for use in table tennis or ping pong but which may also be readily adapted to other sports such as badminton and tennis, and other games where a net is employed.

Heretofore, table tennis nets have been constructed with string or narrow fabric end ties sewn to the netting which are designed to tie around the end poles of a ping pong table at vertically spaced places. This construction usually results in net ends which are curved and therefore the net is not held precisely perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the table top. Furthermore, the ties, and especially the upper set of ties, will slip down the end poles upon the continual impact of ping pong balls hitting the net to thereby cause the top edge of the table tennis net to approach too close to the top surface of the ping pong table surface and to thereby cause the top edge to be moved out of the correct horizontal plane into a position which is angular in relation to the table top surface.

An object of the present invention is to provide a table tennis net having elastic end pieces approximately the height of the table tennis net which are formed in loops and which may be easily and rapidly slipped over the end poles braced on either side of the ping pong" table.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a table tennis net which is always held taut and the top edge of which is constantly in a plane parallel to the table top surface in spite of the continual impact of ping pong balls striking thereagainst. Thus, the so-called squareness of the net is constantly maintained.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a table tennis net which is automatically adjustable for various widths of ping pong tables and does not require continual readjustment.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a table tennis net which is reliably effective for the purposes intended.

The above and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of the table tennis net embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a partial, enlarged front elevational View of one of the end pieces of the table tennis net embodying the present invention in its stretched condition,

Fig. 3 is a partial front elevational view of the table tennis net with the elasticized end pieces in a stretched condition.

Referring more particularly to the drawing and esp cially to Fig. 1 wherein is shown a table tennis net referred to generally by the numeral secured by supporting means to a ping pong table 11. The net is provided Patented Dec. 24, 1957 with a pair of end pieces or fastening elements 12 which are secured to the netting preferably by stitching at 14 on opposite ends of table tennis net 10. The end pieces 12 are of one-piece, looped construction, and are constituted of a yieldable material or fabric, for example webbed, elasticized fabric. It should be noted that a rubber or resilient synthetic resin may also be employed as end pieces for the aforesaid table tennis net. Thus, the end pieces 12 fit over the conventional end poles 16 adapted for use with a table tennis net and which are the supporting means on each side of the ping pong table 11. It should be apparent, therefore, that the table tennis net 10 because of the elasticized end pieces 12 may be used effectively with ping pong tables of various widths since there is approximately a 5 inch range of adjustment owing to the resiliency of the elasticized end pieces. The end piece 12 in a stretched condition as used on a table of greater width than the standard table is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the elasticized fabric in its stretched condition.

Since the elastic end pieces 12 have a vertical height h which is approximately the same as the height of the table tennis net the end pieces engage the end poles 16 over a greater surface than heretofore and therefore provide a powerful yet yieldable fastening means to said end poles which, of course, do not require continual readjustment. Nevertheless, the net may be easily and rapidly inserted over and removed from the end poles 16. The net because of the present novel end pieces remains taut and the top edge thereof is constantly held in a plane parallel to the table top surface and does not become angularly positioned relative thereto in spite of continual and sometimes heavy impact of ping pong balls striking the net. Thus, the height of the upper and lower edges of the net above the table is maintained uniform at all times.

It is within the scope of the present invention to apply the aforesaid end pieces with a greater vertical height to nets used in other games or sports involving a net installed on a playing surface, for example badminton or tennis.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described and that in the illustrated embodiment certain changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principle of the invention within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A game net having a fixed supporting means comprising a pair of looped end pieces constituted of an elasticized, webbed fabric stretchable up to approximately 5 inches in the direction of length of said game net, each of said end pieces having substantially the same vertical height as said game net and being stitched to opposite ends of said game net for fitting over the supporting means for said game net.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 454,700 Barker June 23, 1891 712,231 Alexander Oct. 28, 1902 2,150,033 Hillson Mar. 7, 1939 2,470,318 Nadelson May 17, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 661,714 Great Britain Nov. 28, 1951 

